Public washroom

Church

Halwah

Backgammon

Turbot

Istanbul lunch: Goezleme

Fast Food

S2H Replay. The Sad Ending.

My little blue watch is more or less no more. But I will come to this. Meanwhile, there has been another communication:
______________________________

Julie,
Thanks for the follow up.

We appreciate your feedback and we will most definitely consider your input.
Our mission at S2H is to get everyone, kids and adults, to do one hour of activity per day. We believe that the model we has been very successful in accomplishing our mission.

We are well aware of many devices in the market that have lots of additional features, and perhaps they might work better for users who are looking for heavy data collection on their activity; however, the S2H REPLAY has a simple goal, to reward our users for accomplishing the 60 minutes of activity per day.
If you wish, we can give you a full refund for your S2H REPLAY.

Thank you again for your comments.

The S2H Team
_________________________
I haven't written back, but they are reading here anyway (Hi guys in New Jersey, thanks for visiting!). It's nice that they will consider my input for the website. I hope they do more than that. Thanks also, but I don't want the 20 bucks (plus 11 shipping and handling to europe) back. Wasn't really what I was after with the feedback. But, that said, they have a business to run, so i can certainly understand some of their choices. And I obviously wasn't their target group, nor were they really selling the product I would have liked, so it was simply a mismatch.

Meanwhile, though:
The watch won't keep time anymore. Keeps slowing down. Won't even let me re-set it. The bars which measure the 3 minute increments occasionally don't show - like a bar will simply be missing while the other ones blink away.

I should keep going with the damn thing just to win the wii...maybe I will. But I won't wear it anymore I guess. Just tie it to my shoe or something.

Very very sad.

3 Jars of Kimchee sitting in a tree...

There we go, Chang's Kimchee. Except, not.
I didn't have carrots.
I didn't have scallions.
I didn't have Korean chili powder.
I didn't have two teaspoons of salted shrimp.

Sigh.

So...
Instead of carrots - threw in a chopped up sweet red pepper and a chopped up cucumber.
I had garlic scallions, so made do with those and added less garlic than called for to recipe.
I used a Korean kimchee paste base instead of plain korean chili powder, and threw in some regular chili powder to make it spicier.
I made do without the salted shrimp. In the end, the stuff is too salty anyway.

Learnings:
I had NO IDEA how much garlic, and salty products go into this stuff. Garlic - ok, not worried about. But soy sauce, fish sauce, etc. Woah. This stuff is supposed to be some of the healthiest food you can eat, at least if you ignore the reports about stomach cancer incidences in Koreans. (Can't only be because of the kimchee...)

Don't get me wrong, I am happy to have those three jars sitting in my fridge now, fermenting away. But I think we need some further adjustments to Chang's recipe. And next time I will at least make sure I have most of the ingredients at home before chopping up the cabbage.

BTW, anyone know anything about the fermentation process? I mean, are those jars gonna explode in the fridge?

Momofuku Octopus

Tried another Momofuku recipe this evening. Quite nice but a lot of work if you follow all of his directions. You are supposed to braise the octopus in the oven for two hours and then grill it. I didn't have that kind of time, so took a few shortcuts. And...it was delicious, but still on the chewy side. (I actually like it chewier). Also, had a few SMALL substitutes here and there, nothing crazy. Full of: octopus, green onions, bamboo shoots, green algae, carrots, red peppers.

Would make it again.

Trying Chang's kimchee recipe for cabbage kimchee this weekend as well. Although I guess it'll be about two weeks before it is done marinating.

My sister mentioned a restaurant near her where she goes to eat occasionally - where the food gives her tons of energy. I am curious to hear more about those dishes. This octopus salad felt a bit like one of those recipes, I think. Lot of spice and crunch and chew, and next to zero fat.

S2H Update

The ongoing communication between S2H and me:

They wrote back:
Hello Julie,

Thanks for your feedback regarding the S2H REPLAY.

1) The type of movement that best works with the S2H REPLAY is moderate to intense physical activity that has a good amount of upper body movement. Riding a bike or a casual walk will not fill up the REPLAY. Some of the best activities are aerobics, basketball, tennis, running, dancing, etc...

2) The CDC (Center for Disease Control) recommends 60 minutes of physical activity per day. We've determined that the safest approach for the S2H system is to limit the daily uploads to (1). Since many of our users are kids, we didn't want them to over exert themselves in order to reach specific reward goals.

We hope that we've answered your questions and concerns, and if you have any other questions or issues, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Thank you!

The S2H Team

and I wrote back:
Dear S2H,
Yes, you answered my questions, so thank you very much for that.

However, I just spent a few minutes going through your website, looking for the information from question 2 below. Indeed, one of your FAQs mentions the CDC information. What you fail to mention is the fact that you only allow 1 upload per day. Does this appear anywhere on the website? I honestly would not have purchased the device had I thought this was the case.

Obviously I have not failed to see the business logic in allowing only 1 upload per day. But in the interest of full disclosure, I feel strongly that you must alert potential buyers to this fact so they can make a reasoned decision regarding whether or not this device is the one they should get - rather, for instance, than a more sophisticated Polar device. There are different motivations for buying your device. For some, it is certainly about the rewards. For others, it is about having a device that tracks true activity on a daily basis. I like a lot of the features of your device, and certainly the price made it an easy selection, if only to try out. But when it comes down to it, if I had had all the information in advance, I would have bought something else. I feel as though you know this is the case for a segment of your target audience. It is misleading not to publish the upload limit. I ask you to please ammend your website to reflect this information.

In the meantime, a number of my facebook and blog followers have asked me for my advice on the device. Sadly, I have been forced to recommend against it.

I think there must be a solution for better addressing the needs of multiple target groups, and not only children who might accidentally get a little too much exercise.

Sincerely,
Julie Nathan

ChatRoulette, part....2?

This guy is great! Take a look. He's doing piano improv on chatroulette.

My Own Personal QR Code

Facebook has apparently (according to Techmeme) launched a new feature: the ability to post a QR code to your profile.

So I thought I better get on the ball and generate my own QR code (of course for this blog...)

Here it is:


Now I need to download a QR code reader for the iPhone and test to see if it works....

Be back with you soon.

Hopeful

Translation of the sign: Soon it will be ice cream time again. ;-)
Bala Beni: best ice cream in the world. But actually, I will just be happy if it stops snowing.

Goal-driven motivation (S2H)

I am that kinda person - there has to be a goal. Without a goal, I am lost. A couple weeks back I blogged about the S2H - this little wristwatch that monitors your physical activity. In the last week, I know what my physical activity graph looks like: a flat line. Like bottom of the y-axis flat. Like butt-expanding unless I finally get off of it super nasty flat. I like going to the gym - I feel great afterwards and the buzz lasts for a couple days. But when I don't make it there during the week, the weekend roles around and I am deader than those two remaining blue hundred-year old eggs in my refrigerator. So...the S2H has arrived and there are some new goals to rejoice over. If I log 7500 hours worth of points, I can win a Wii. Now don't get me wrong - I can go to the store this afternoon and simply BUY one in about 5 minutes, but...there would be no fun in that. The one piece of information I don't know and can't find online...is how many damn hours of physical activity is required...for 7500 points? 7500 hours?!?!? In which case, it will be a really really long time before I get the Wii. Or else..I will be really really really fit in a very short while. Thankfully there are rewards I can win for fewer points. But still daunting?
Well, I am off to the gym, so I guess I will know when I get back how many points 60 minutes of workout make...or 90. or 120. or...

Several Hours Later....
Ok, here's the report:
They are not kidding when they say moderate to intense physical activity. I just did a two hour workout, elliptical machine for 50 minutes, treadmill for 35, and bike for 25, and the thing JUST NOW (after also walking home, walking there, a few shakes of frustration, etc.) finally finally gave me credit for 60 minutes. So, not sure why. I was really moving the whole time, and it wasn't a casual walk in the park. I was wondering if it had to do with repetitive motion or something like that. Will have to wait and see and notice patterns.
Meanwhile, I uploaded my credit of one hour to see what I would get for that sweat, and am relieved to see that I at least get 60 points. So if I divide 7500 points by 60...I can see that it will take 125 hours to win the Wii. That seems kind of incredible. Not so bad, actually. 124 hours to go.

And...continued. I wasn't happy yesterday evening because I managed to rack up an additional 60 minutes on the device. Went to put in the additional hour and received the message that I can only put in 60 min a day!!! Ridiculous. Wrote the company. Waiting to hear what they say.
My letter:

Dear S2H,
I just recently bought an S2H device and have begun to use it. I was really excited to receive it and begin using it yesterday.

I have two questions: 1) I went to the gym and did quite a vigorous workout yesterday for close to two hours. I wore the device on my arm while I was on the elliptical machine, and in frustration, tied to my shoe while on the bike and treadmill. Despite the two hours, the device only really registered about 1 hour of activity. (It wasn't that it had filled up the hour and given me a code, it didn't quite fill up the hour.) Are there movements that simply don't register with the device? Perhaps very regular low impact movements? I was pretty confused because I was working quite hard.

2) Despite the fact that it only registered about one hour, when I finally did get the code and upload it, I continued with a fairly active day. And through the course of the rest of the day, I managed to accumulate a second hour. I tried to upload the second code (same day) and received the message that I am only allowed to upload once per day. This seems really really strange based on the stated goals of the organization and the purpose of the device. I ask that you reconsider this policy, as I had really wanted to use the device to register my actual activity on a daily basis, not the fact that I had managed a single hour.

By the way, I have written a blog entry or two on the device - can be found here: www.juliecanblog.blogspot.com.

Best regards, and hopeful that you will reconsider your policy,
Julie

Tram Pooch

Whew! Headed back to my own bed tonight, and gosh I am glad.
Saw this guy on the tram this morning on the way to work and we couldn't help but stare at each other. He was probably staring at the strange woman carrying three bags and a thermos of tea with a blue hat perched on her head and I was staring at the very well-behaved smart-looking poodle who I wouldn't have minded petting had I had a hand free.

Weekend

So...well...I have seen downtown Zurich quite a bit, but there is always a need to really spend a few hours traipsing through the windy streets of the old town with its weird and wonderful and way too expensive (usually) shops.

(And before anyone says something about the fact that I didn't take photos of Grossmünster or Fraumünster - I was THERE. But do you really want to see photos of them? Kinda...yawn?)

Night Stroll Through Zürich

Spent about an hour and a half wandering around Zurich last night (finally!). Ran into this woman, who offered me a drink of water. (nonverbally. It was kinda a gesture...). Not quite sure if this is a Swiss affliction...or just a random "I forgot to put on my other half today when I got out of bed this morning." I declined the water and kept on wandering.


















Came across these cranky bunnies in a shop window. They look really crammed into that box and I am guessing that is why they are cranky. But for now I decided to let them sit there and talk it out. I don't think I am a good bunny mediator.





















Towards the end of the stroll I came across this bookshop and went in and grabbed a book to take back to the hotel and read. All in all, a nice relaxed evening.



But did I mention? The prices of food here are really really astounding. I mean normal, every-day, nothing fancy food. Thank you for my per diem. Gosh.

Oh, one more thing: I edited these photos slightly with the (partially) free online tool Picnik. Really nice. I hadn't heard of it or used it before. Then Google bought it a couple days ago...so I read an article...and I gotta say - am really impressed. For my photo editing purposes, this is GREAT. Compared to paying 800 bucks (or whatever it is) for a copy of photoshop...wow...Even the premium version is a steal.

Swiss Chocolate Bunnies

You can tell Easter is coming...

On my way back to the hotel last night, I walked past this chocolate shop and had to stop and gawk. Amazing chocolate bunny sculptures.
































Although, I think they might have been a little confused. This kind of sculpture usually used for another holiday. (A towering tree of macrons in every possible flavor...wow. )

Hello Lindau

> I like the sereneness of the ducks on the dark grey still lake.
> Border town between Switzerland and Germany.

Spin the Wheel

chat roulette from Casey Neistat on Vimeo.

I have a curious fascination with the IDEA of this site. But I haven't yet worked up the nerve to actually look at it. Well, ok, I take it back. I looked. But I did not spin. Or rather, I did not click. It's a site...where you are randomly paired with another individual somewhere in the world...to chat with. The hickup? Webcam is on. You don't like what you see? Click "Next." They don't like what they see? Well, you can guess. So,*if* one were looking to chat with random people, I guess this is the place to go these days. I am guessing that not very far into the future, this little site will take it one step further: it will add profiling information and matching ability. I.e., collection of info like gender, age, interests, purpose of chat, etc. So theoretically you could be more accurately paired with the kind of person you're interested in talking to. I am guessing there would be a line of old, fat, balding men scratching at their screens (uh, I mean waiting patiently in line) to speak to the 23 women in the world who have a fetish for the old guys. Ok, I take it back. No one is gonna be putting up profiling because then the site wouldn't work.

Anyway, I have a girlfriend or two who have tried it out - and confirmed what I thought is likely the case: buncha guys waving their magic wands around and hoping for the best. Well, the video above says this is the case about 14% of the time, but as more people learn about this site, I am guessing the ratio might shift a bit.)

So...it's amusing to read about - and this video does a great job of showing the experience. But I don't think I am really that interested in "getting my chat on." But hey, if you want to try it out, I am happy to watch you do it. Go spin the wheel...

The really interesting part (for me) is watching the realm of a private sphere continue to fall away online. We are watching it happen in both user-selected instances - in the various social networks, as well in non-user selected...i.e. businesses collecting information about you to use in profiling as well as...simple collection of information for the greater body of information out there available to the general public. Interesting to read about the whole Google debacle over Streetview. Wonder what is going to happen there. I find that I am slowly being de-sensitized to the whole online privacy issue. I wonder if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I've commented already to a few people about a blog post by Jeff Jarvis I read a few weeks back discussing the difference between privacy and the control of privacy. And I like his example of the German sauna as a metaphor for the online privacy debate.

I think we're not far away from some pretty big changes because of these kinds of applications of data and information....interesting times.

Momofuku Pork Buns

You start with something like this....

...which I have to admit is pretty scary for me. Because 1) I almost never buy meat, and when I do, it doesn't look like this. It is rather an understated chicken breast or a pound of ground lamb. You know, the kind of meat which doesn't remind you too much of the animal that has been sacrificed for your caloric intake (and eating pleasure.) The woman weighing it out for me at the counter told me that it was enough for 5 "normal" eaters, at which point you wonder what the meat consumption per capita in Germany is. And then you choose not to wonder. Anyway, this 1.xx kilos of pork was put in the fridge with salt and sugar coating overnight and then roasted for about 3 hours on Sunday morning. I was following David Chang's famous Pork Bun recipe. I have heard that some people are thinking about creating a new religion around these famous sandwiches.

In addition to the PORK, if you are doing things correctly, you are also mixing up the dough for the buns, letting it rest, chopping it up, rolling it out, steaming it. All 50 of them per recipe. (David explains they freeze well and I am taking his word for it.)

The rest is very straightforward. Actually, the whole process is straightforward, just takes some time. Sliver some chives, pickle some cucumbers and radishes, buy some hoisin sauce and kimchi and whatever other pickles or spicy sauces you wanna add into the mix...and done.

Serve it up to hungry guests.

This is what the finished product looks like, although...this was not one of mine. I stole this photo from the internet - you will find literally thousands of photos

(See)

of this sandwich (remember - religion) and variations of it. I was just running around last night and not feeling like being übergeek and taking photos.



But what i can tell you:
1) they were yummy - and I managed to buy pork belly without much fat -just a layer on top, much of which I removed, so the meat was quite lean in the end. I am sure they would have been even better with layers of fat, but no one at the table would have been eating them quite so voraciously.
2) Yes, there are plenty of leftovers, despite that meat salesperson's assurances that the 1.xx kilos of meat would serve 5 eaters (we had 7).
3) yes, I would make them again, but might veer more towards peking duck style...although the kimchi etc. was very nice...

Come on over tonight and I have dinner for you....